Malica Malherbe became the first Team SA athlete to take to competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina on Tuesday, when she placed 25th in the women’s moguls freestyle skiing qualification.
The 21-year-old, one of five Team SA athletes at these Games in Milano-Cortina, gets a second chance to qualify for the consolation Final when the second round of qualification takes place on Wednesday. There, she will need to finish in the top 10 to progress to Final 2.
Malherbe completed her Olympic routine in 30.39sec and was given a total score of 55.85 points – 12.27 time points, 8.38 air score and 35.2 turns score – over the 245m course with a gradient of 28 degrees.
The five Team SA athletes is the biggest delegration that the country has sent to a Winter Games, eclipsing the four that went to the 1960 Games in Squaw Valley, USA.
There are two teenagers in the squad – Thomas Weir (17) and Lara Markthaler (18), while the other members are Malherbe (21), Nicole Burger (31) and Matthew Smith (35).
This is Malherbe’s first Winter Olympics, to go alongside one World Championships participation with a best result of 27th in Women’s Moguls in 2025. Her World Cup best is 18th and her best Junior World Championships finish is 12th.
